Action for Equity

Description and aims

This stream supports better and fairer health for families and communities locally, nationally and internationally. There are three research programs within this stream.

Key current research areas

· Children and young people

This program focuses on understanding the needs of vulnerable families and developing and trailing interventions to improve child and young people’s health, development and educational outcomes, including individual, family and service system interventions.

· Communities and Populations

This program focuses on the health and wellbeing of whole communities and populations. Research in this program is conducted with communities, populations and organisations, and address planning and policies.

· Equity Implementation and Social Innovation

This program focuses on building individual, community, organisational and service system capacity to effectively implement tools and interventions to improve health and development outcomes for families and communities.

Key partners

Key partners in the stream and its research programmes are local communities (particular the Tharawal community in South Western Sydney), consumer groups and community advocates, health districts, local councils, and industry.

This project was originally funded through the Department of Health and Ageing PHERP Innovative Grants Program to develop a generic public health workforce development tool and apply it to working in locationally disadvantaged communities.

The study of comprehensive sustained professional home visiting programs initiated antenatally for at risk mothers who reside in a community characterised by profound socioeconomic disadvantage and the impact it has on differing outcomes.